[canalrunner]

The great race report in the Masters Forum on the Ragnar Relay in Arizona got me thinking of Canadian relay races. I know of the Cabot Relay in Nova Scotia, the Shore to Shore between Lake Huron and Erie in Ontario and the Jasper to Banff. Has anyone done any of these relays? Are there others.

 

[tigger]

I have not done any relays but I know of a couple in my area. Skeena River Run - Prince Rupert to Terrace...about 100 miles, to be held on June 7th. Also, Ft St James to Vanderhoof, to be held May 11th. There are others you can see on this website.<br><br><a href="http://www.bcathletics.org/eventcal_rr08.htm" target="_blank">http://www.bcathletics.org/eventcal_rr08.htm</a>

 

[clare]

I've done the Cabot Trail Relay 4 times...I'll be there again this year. It's a blast! There's also the Rum Runners Relay that's done each fall from Halifax to Lunenburg, NS. It's only a day long deal but it's still a lotta fun.

 

[Sans Souci]

I'd LOVE to do the Cabot Trail. Long trip from coast to coast, but still ...<br><br>
Hey Friendly -- er, I mean Canal. Good topic. I love relays. <img alt="biggrin.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/biggrin.gif"><br><br>
I've done Jasper-Banff three times, though that's ancient history now, 20+ years ago. Probably still one of the toughest runs I've ever done (in those days anyway, you only ran one leg ... the Columbia Icefields being the killer leg), what with the altitude, changing weather, wildlife, etc. I LOVED it.<br><br>
I've also done the Edge to Edge, Tofino to Ucluelet on Vancouver Island, self-described Ekiden style relay: marathon distance, five team members. Fun, but not enough running, IMO.<br><br>
Not Canadian relays but ...<br><br>
Hood to Coast and, of course, Ragnar del Sol. I love the "all-nighter" relays with more than one leg per runner. Much more fun. Can't wait for the next one.

 

[Grizzly]

Oh lord there are a few out here. Sadly the Banff-Calgary has been cancelled, but then again, it wasn't the most scenic.<br><br>
Google the Kananaskis K-100, it is an awesome race, starts on the bald-assed prairie, and climbs to the highest paved road in Canada - and most of it is on highway that is closed to traffic. It ends with trail running - a great event.<br><br>
Then there's the reincarnation of the old Jasper-Banff, now called the Banff- Jasper. Rather than being run as one race, it has two starts, Banff and Saskatchewan crossing. This eliminated the night time pitch-black climb up Bow Summit with the Grizzlies, but it's still a hell of a run. The old "blow the knees out" descent from the Ice Fields is now one heck of a climb, at altitude, but the field seems to have evened out a bit. You still need to be able to run an 8 minute mile or you're pulled, but the Japanese teams have been conspicuous by their absence.

 

[CIAU80]

The Jasper Banff relay was still the best. Too bad it doesn't exist in the same<br>
format anymore.

 

[Sans Souci]

So without going to check the new Banff-Jasper format, Grizzly (I will, just not right now), is it still "only" one leg for each runner?<br><br>
Not sure I like the new format, but I'm sure having it on that highway gives the authorities fits.<br><br>
Kananaskis sounds great. I'll check that one out too.<br><br>
I'll always have very fond memories of the Old Jasper-Banff, but I really like the multiple-leg type relays, particularly if you're going to travel to get to a place. It's kinda nice to go for more than just one outing. <img alt="smile.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/smile.gif">

 

[Grizzly]

I think that you can switch off runners, but you need a minimum.<br><br>
K-100 is an absolute blast from start to finish. The road is closed until June 15th to allow for calving and birthing of elk, moose, bear, deer, goats, sheep... that sort of thing. You have it all to yourself, except for the support vehicles.<br><br>
The J-B people quit because they were tired, and tried to pin it all on the Parks Canada people who were actually aghast at that suggestion. Yes, they had some regulations, but were willing to work through them with the J-B folks, as the Banff-Jasper (I can't bring myself to write B-J) folks have discovered.<br><br>
The splitting into two races is actually the idea of the organizers, and wasn't really a Parks Canada thing, although they did express some safety / security concerns that simple planning could have alleviated.<br>
I too loved the J-B, never did run it (I was offered the Icefields leg one year and turned it down because of a lack of hill work - it as a last minute replacement) but I crewed it several times.<br><br>
This past year while out on Strike Replacement duty for my company I passed by runners near Lake Louise as they tackled the climb up to Bow Summit - most of them were women, and most were running fast and hard. Apparently there's been a demographic shift, a lot of "fast" wimmin folk are running the race now.

 

[canalrunner]

Banff-Jasper was featured in the first edition of the new Canadian Running Magazine. It sounds like it is essentially two races(one from the north, one from the south) but would be fun to do.

 

[markc7]

No one has mentioned the Death Race (125km) yet. It can be run in teams of any size from 1 to 5, if I'm not mistaken. A buddy of mine did it solo last year and as part of a four man team the year before. I've heard it's a pretty fun time.

 

[canalrunner]

Where and when is the Death Race?

 

[willrun4chocolate]

Starts August 2<br><br><a href="http://www.canadiandeathrace.com/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.canadiandeathrace.com/index.html</a>

 

[canalrunner]

Doesn't sound that tough. 125 km course which begins and ends on a 4200 foot plateau, passes over three mountain summits and includes 17,000 feet of elevation change and a major river crossing. Is that the kid's event?

 

[grommit]

<br>
.....why am i so drawn to this event? <img alt="uhoh2.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/uhoh2.gif">

 

[Grizzly]

Just got asked to be a runner for a team on the Banff-Jasper. Got a lot of getting faster to do in the next month.

 

[canalrunner]

Excellent. It really sounds like a lot of fun.

 

[mudrunner]

We don't have many out here, but I will be doing the Easter Seal 24 Hour Relay for the kids on Father's Day weekend. It's a fund raiser that allows kids with disabilities the opportunity to go to camp in the summer.<br>
My team consists of me....solo. I just signed up.<br><br><a href="http://www.24hourrelay.com/sites/default.aspx?TeamID=1462&RunnerID=22445" target="_blank">http://www.24hourrelay.com/sites/def...RunnerID=22445</a>

 

[blackswangreen]

The Lower Mainland also has the H2H (Haney to Harrison) 100km relay & ultra every November. The run is almost always soggy & cold but the after-party is an unfailingly wild'n'crazy time. Good fun.